Severity and Cardiac Involvement in Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children.

Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) occurs secondary to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. A retrospective study, involving 6 tertiary-care centers in Haryana, was conducted to evaluate the clinical features, severity, laboratory findings, and outcomes of patients with MIS-C. Disease severity was graded (mild/moderate/severe) and presence of cardiac abnormalities noted. Patients with and without cardiac abnormalities and with and without severe disease were compared. Forty-eight children with MIS-C were included (median age - 9.5 y). Fever (100%), gastrointestinal (83.3%) and mucocutaneous (50%) symptoms were common. Only 16.7% patients had previous history of documented SARS-CoV-2 infection/contact. Severe disease and cardiac abnormalities were seen in 47.9% and 54.2% patients, respectively. NT-proBNP > 1286.5 pg/mL and thrombocytopenia (≤ 119500/µL) were significant risk factors for severe MIS-C. Forty-five patients (93.8%) recovered and 3 died. Median hospitalization duration was 7 d (5-9.5). MIS-C must be considered as a possibility in any febrile child, even if a positive epidemiological history is absent. High NT-proBNP and thrombocytopenia are significant risk factors for severe MIS-C. (Trial Registration: The study was registered with the Clinical Trials Registry, India (CTRI/2021/09/036491)).

Comparison of Bone Mineral Density in Thalassemia Major Patients with Healthy Controls.

Chronic hemoglobinopathies like thalassemia are associated with many osteopathies like osteoporosis. Methods. This observational study was carried out to compare the bone mineral density (BMD) in transfusion dependent thalassemics with that of healthy controls. Thirty-two thalassemia patients, aged 2-18 years, and 32 age and sex matched controls were studied. The bone mineral concentration (BMC) and BMD were assessed at lumbar spine, distal radius, and neck of femur. Biochemical parameters like serum calcium and vitamin D levels were also assessed. Results. The BMC of neck of femur was significantly low in cases in comparison to controls. We also observed significantly lower BMD at the lumbar spine in cases in comparison to controls. A significantly positive correlation was observed between serum calcium levels and BMD at neck of femur. Conclusion. Hence, low serum calcium may be used as a predictor of low BMD especially in populations where incidence of hypovitaminosis D is very high.